The Biggest Comfort
by Fangirl Extraordinaire
Summary: A short story about the months after the war.


I've had this story in my head for a bit and wanted to share it with everyone. Enjoy!

~I don't own any of these characters~

The weeks after the battle were hard on everyone. Having to go back to normal life after they had lost so much was a difficult thing to do, made no easier by having lost loved ones. However, life did go on and they slowly healed. This did not mean that someone wouldn't wake up screaming in the middle of the night due to a nightmare rousing the rest of the house, or that when you passed by the photos in the living room you didn't catch someone staring just a moment too long at Fred's photo but they were able to return to some kind of normalcy.

Mrs. Weasley welcomed Harry and Hermione to the burrow with open arms, to which they were thankful for because no one wanted to separate from one another, not that Mrs. Weasley would have had it any other way. Having a few more people in the house helped keep the loss of Fred from settling into her mind too deeply, since she always had something to do.

George wouldn't sleep in his old room, he said it was too lonely without Fred and instead stayed with Charlie. Bill and Fleur continued to stay at shell cottage, however they were over every night for dinner and would come early to help around the house and to see everyone.

Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were all but inseparable having been so close to losing one another. Those times that they did separate for chores and such it was always in pairs Harry with Ginny and Hermione with Ron. The couples were learning how to be normal, always having been in some sort of danger.

Ron and Hermione were still trying to figure out just how to be together, awkwardly fumbling as they tried to return to normal but with a new dynamic.

Ginny and Harry on the other hand were the complete opposite, seeming natural together almost as if they'd been together for years. They could often be found the small living room, Harry sitting in a chair reading the daily prophet with Ginny either next to him or sitting in front of him resting back against his legs, or out in the field on brooms playing quidditch with each other.

They seemed to naturally gravitate towards each other although they didn't realize, and if the others did, they didn't mention it. However, Mrs. Weasley with her ever watchful gaze could see exactly what was going on.

The biggest tell was one night while she was in the kitchen getting dinner ready, with Ginny helping when Harry walked in.

"Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, can I help with anything?" he asked. Just as Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to tell him to relax and not to worry about dinner, Ginny replied "You can come help me chop vegetables."

She showed him the way she wanted them chopped and left him to do it moving on to warm up the pot for the stew. The two worked in silence and synchrony and eventually Mrs. Weasley ran out of things to do, because they had it in hand.

She walked out of the kitchen into the living room only to have Mr. Weasley look up at her with a questioning stare. "Molly is everything alright?"

"Yes," she smiled, "Ginny and Harry are finishing up dinner." Mr. Weasley had a small smile across his face as he got up to peer into the kitchen where he saw the two. Ginny had just taken the spoon from the pot and held it in front of Harry, who tasted it. "Salt." he muttered before he finished off the rest of the vegetables.

He walked over to the pot to put in the last of the vegetables while Ginny stirred eventually lifting the spoon up for another taste. "Perfect, I'll set the table." He said, kissing her on the cheek. Flicking his wand toward the cupboard, the plates and silverware flew out and landed on the table.

Mr. Weasley leaned toward Mrs. Weasley and whispered, "You know who they remind me of?"

"Us." She replied, a smile playing at her lips.

Mrs. Weasley really started to take notice after that, the way the two would gravitate towards each other. How they seemed almost to communicate without talking, it was like they were able to understand the other with just a look.

The night she and Mr. Weasley knew that they were in trouble was one night where the house was roused in the wake of another's nightmare.

Waking up Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew it was Ginny. Making their way to her room it didn't seem to be quieting down but getting louder. They opened the door to find Hermione crouched by the side of Ginny's bed trying to calm her.

She looked up when the door opened "I can't get her to wake." Mrs. Weasley walked to her daughter and stroked her face "Ginny it's alright, it's over. Wake up dear." But was met with another scream.

"NO!"

Ignoring the footfalls she heard coming down the stairs she kept her attention on Ginny, "Ginny wake up, it's just a dream. Everything's fine." But Ginny kept shaking, curling more tightly in on herself.

Mrs. Weasley looked up when she heard a tired voice say, "Excuse me Hermione." And looked up to see Harry crouch next to Ginny.

He placed a hand lightly on her back and rubbed it in circles while murmuring "Shh, gin it's alright everything's alright now." She settled slightly as Harry kept talking to her eventually waking up.

She turned over and looked at Harry with tears in her eyes before burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing. "Y-you were dead. Hagrid was carrying you and you were d-dead." She cried her voice breaking.

"I know Gin, I'm sorry. But I'm here, love. You've got nothing to worry about." Harry murmured into her ear.

Mrs. Weasley turned around and shooed Hermione, Ron, and Mr. Weasley out of the room to give them a moment.

Looking at Ron and Hermione she said, "Give them time." Before turning and directing Mr. Weasley back to bed who looked like he wanted to argue.

Once back to their room, Mr. Weasley paced back and forth. "I should go check on them."

"Arthur," she said staring him down "You will do no such thing. Leave those two be."

"But- "he began to argue, but abruptly cut off when he met Mrs. Weasleys stare.

"They will be just fine; they went through something horrible and now they need to get past it. It seems that the way they'll be doing it is together."

"If it were anyone else." Mr. Weasley grumbled.

"I know dear, I know. But Harry has been and always will be a gentleman. Besides I've always thought of him as another son. He'd never do anything to hurt Ginny or disrespect us, you know that."

"You're right. But don't think I didn't notice Ron and Hermione go back up to the attic together."

Mrs. Weasley just laughed and looked at her husband "Under any other circumstances I'd agree with you dear, but they all just want to be together. They're afraid to separate if you haven't noticed, always going around in pairs. Let them take what they need and give what they can in return. The biggest comforts they have in this world are each other, they understand each other's pain. Let them work through it together the way they see fit."

Mr. Weasley had no response to that, and no one mentioned the extra camp beds that appeared in the attic and Ginny's room the next day.

After that it wasn't uncommon to hear the steps creaking in the middle of the night when the girls went to go check on Harry on Ron, or when the boys went to check on them in turn but from then on it seemed that everyone was able to sleep a little easier at night.

The summer after Ginny began to play for the Harpies was when Harry decided that it was time. He was worried what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would say considering they were so young but he was determined.

When he sat down with them one afternoon to ask their permission, he knew that they already had guessed what he was there for. They had small smiles and were glancing at one another when he asked to sit down with them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." He said, a lump forming in his throat "I love Ginny, and I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with her. I was wondering if you'd give me permission to ask her to marry me?"

Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes as she looked at him "We've always thought of you as another son, and we'd love it if you joined our family." Harry grinned as he stood and clapped Mr. Weasley on the back and gave Mrs. Weasley a hug.

"I promise not to disappoint you sir." He said looking at Mr. Weasley.

"I think you've already proved yourself son."

Harry took Ginny to Hogwarts the next day, telling her that he wanted to go to the pitch to visit and hoping that she wouldn't suspect anything. The two spent the afternoon playing one on one before landing in the middle of the pitch.

"Thanks for coming with me today." Harry said, hugging Ginny.

"I'm always looking for a chance to whoop you at quidditch." She grinned and turned around to collect her broom.

"Hey Gin?" Harry said.

"Yes?" she replied, before turning around and gasping. Harry was down on one knee, a small box in his hands.

"We've been through so much in such a short amount of time, and I've loved every moment we've spent together Ginny. I know you can take care of yourself; I love that about you. But I'm hoping that you'll let me be there for you when you need it. Whether it's cheering you on at your next game or fighting for you in the future I want to be there. Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"

Ginny who had tears in her eyes started nodding her head. "Yes, of course!"

Grinning Harry stood, placed the ring on her finger and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you so much. How did I ever get so lucky?"


End file.
